Jim receives a gift the day after Christmas. And then another one the next day. And again for the 10 days after. Is it a joke, or has his True Love come forward? EEEEEE! So I know I'm late to the party, but seriously --- Pam knows Parma!?! I was even excited to read that Kelly knows Parma - what a great universe you've created here!
And you are the reigning queen of delivering just enough happy stuff to tide the reader over, while leaving the perfect amount of mystery to make one want to be selfish and skip to the next chapter without a review.
What...?
10 Ah, moxie - the best! The kissing and the stubble and the banter and just....sigh. This was absolutely awesome. Next installment....???
Eeeee! Clapping my hands - he's going to the party! Pam's going to die! And thank god he finally just came clean to Karen....
You're continuing to amaze me with the creativity of how you're interpreting the song & coming up with gifts, BTW.
10 Ohhhh, you are an evil, evil woman - worse than a hobbit! - for stopping this here! I'm actually all antsy and worked up over this - seriously. Make it happen!
This entire series is just such a treat!
Oh Moxie, you sneaky, sneaky woman you. I actually stopped eating my dinner midway through this - totally forgot about it because i got so absorbed in the story.
What I would not give for Jim to make Pam a mix CD. I really love the plot elements you've set up here.
8 Okay, Karen's really starting to annoy me. Get a clue sister - move on!! (Sorry - this is just a damned good story!)
10 Ah, I love this! Talk about a squee - when she was rubbing the Ben Gay....ooof. What I would not give....
This is really, really clever, moxie!
A few light bits and pieces I'd accumulated (have written enough angst lately, thanks.) Since they were just languishing, I figured I'd resurrect Vignettes and send them out into the world. Each is a stand-alone, NOT a chapter in a work-in-progress, so feel free to jump in and out. (I'm thinking there will be 3-5 pieces, but will have to see how the mood strikes me.)
If I owned these characters, would I be writing this stuff? Seriously. No copyright infringement is intended.
10 Jesus, colette, I'm all giddy and squeeish. ...And teary-eyed (swear to god). Okay, first of all: You win first prize for best use of the adjective "ridiculously." Leave it to you to make it so sensual and sweet all at the same time.
And if this is your version of half-finished bits (isn't that what you said?), then damn it, you need to post all your half-finished, barely-a-seed ideas. Incredible, really.
Even if your stuff didn't consistently get ribbons, I'd still count on it to be always excellent: sexy, poignant, spot-on.
And this...."It was as if these seemingly insignificant details suddenly carried more weight than their most dramatic declarations. The extraordinarily unattainable had finally become ordinary. "
Once again, you've captured the essence of what makes these two so amazing...what makes us all write fics about the wonder their lives could/should become.
The last line as well...perfect. Simply perfect.
You know I have a great affection for you, but honest to god, if I could somehow blackmail you into writing and posting at least once a week, I would so do it.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: You rock, my dear. :o)
Oh my, girl7...thanks so much for your effusive review! BTW, you always have a knack for picking out the lines I liked best myself! After a slew of more angsty fics, it felt good to purge my sappy side. Have a couple more bits to post soon (just as dopey, but a bit naughtier), so stay tuned.
Blackmail, huh? Have you been having Dwight's volunteer law enforcement friends investigate my sordid past? Now I'm scared! Anyway, thanks - again and again - for being a most excellent reviewer. Makes me RIDICULOUSLY happy!
Oh wow, this was so much fun...and so hot. (Though I must tell you - if you weren't already a self-confessed JK Hussy, this little number would've totally outed you; you describe the lust she feels while watching him play basketball just a little too well here....;o) )
I love this little glimpse into their lives - they're so in character here, and I could totally envision them relating this way as a couple.
Oh, and I loved the call back to "Basketball" with the bath reference - way to take a painful moment and make it good!
Just superb, as always....
You know me too well. I admit it, Pam wasn't the only one undone by watching him play basketball. Had to get it out of my system. And he deserves a good bath, damn it!
I'm glad you thought they were in character...when I do a heavy dialogue thing, I always worry about that. Thanks again - love to get your reviews!
10 One of the reasons this story works so well (IMHO) is your attention to the smallest details, like Jim wincing and getting mustard on his chin or him trying to shake the bench but finding himself unable to. And of course there's the whole "Welcome to the Jungle" bit - definitely something I could see Michael Scott doing. You've also got their dialogue here nailed - the quick cadences of guys hanging out and talking trash to each other.
Nice job!
10 This chapter was amazing (and HOT). Reading their banter was really exciting - love the way you wrote their flirting on the roof. And I think the angst at the end here is also well done - the whole denial and confusion thing, tinged with a little bit of self-loathing (at least on Roy's part). So good. [/Jim]
Author's Response: What I loved writing here was the juxtaposition of Roy's homophobia with his careless, flirty roof talk. It's all fun and games till someone jacks off on the phone! Thanks, girl7 :)
10 Best chapter so far: I mentioned it on TWoP, but really, Jim's brief involvement with Angela is so believable - and the way you write it is so damned funny as well. (Loved the line about her squirming out of his arms like one of her cats.)
The second section with Roy is just so poignant and painful and...guh. You really tap into an aspect of Roy's character here that we don't see on the show, but would work so well - the self-conscious, restless feeling, the shame at what he does for a living. I love it that Jim here is as nurturing and kind as he always has been to Pam - it's another element that just makes this work.
Fascinating stuff!
Hee, my cat used to do that - she was very like Angela :) But thanks for the vote of confidence re: Jim/Angela. I said yesterday at LJ that I almost refuse to believe that they haven't been involved at some point.
As far as Roy goes, I really liked the idea that Jim started with a negative impression of Pam, and had to get beyond that (and everything else) to be where he is now. Plus, I just like Roy :)
10 First of all - didn't catch the mustard continuity thing the first time around. What a cool touch.
And again with the Angela thing - it just fascinates me because it works so well! I can definitely see her snarkiness toward Pam about Jim (Pam Pong, for example) stemming from jealousy.
And as usual, you've written the scene between Pam and Jim beautifully - it's so rich, so them: The tension is palpable but understated. And the last several lines here - the things Jim can't see - wow. Painful, painful, painful, but so beautiful.
10 Amazing, just amazing. I had forgotten how lyrical your prose is, as well as what a gift you have for capturing the kind of hell Jim must be going through. I really love this, and I'd be so excited if you did continue it. Way too many brilliant lines to quote in here - but I'll give it a shot and try to narrow it down:
"It doesn’t matter now. He’s tired of losing battles every day and tired of standing still." Yes - I think this is exactly why Jim took the drastic step that he took in transferring.
"Nights are hardest for him, because there’s too much time and empty space." Guh.
The message he left on Pam's phone was heartbreaking (as was his imagining her just tossing the phone aside), and I also really like the way you've introduced his relationship with Karen. The line that he feels more like a spectator than a participant - wow. Insightful, I think.
Oh, and I laughed out loud at his exchange with Karen re: Andy and Cornell. Heh.
Great work - hope you continue it!
Whoa, I did not see that ending coming - very nice! (Oh, if only....) I really liked the way you described her engagement to Roy as a meshing of childhood and adulthood, because that's an excellent way to articulate it!
Nice job here!
10 Ahhh! This was awesome. So many beautiful lines, from "He wasn't the only reason, of course, but his figure (and his feelings for her) had lurked quietly in the background of her heart as she'd returned a ring and resumed her own life" to "She'd pushed him away with both hands; how could she even presume to claim a place in a heart she'd already broken?"
Just as gorgeous as your stuff always is.
And while you, I know, have the gift that enables you to offer up these brilliant one shots (and I have a weakness for dragging fics out), I still have to say that I would love to see this continued.... :o)
Excellent job, as always!
I wouldn't call it a "weakness"- you manage to be consistently brilliant for chapter after chapter. I'm lucky if I can break into a second paragraph!
Thank you so much for the kind review. It feels so good to write!
Pure speculation about the other side of Michael's phone conversation at the end of Benihana Christmas.
Spoilers through A Benihana Christmas, combined with my shippy speculations (based somewhat on NBC promos...) about who Michael's Jamaican traveling companion is going to be.
10 Oh my god, monkeybear - WOW. This was spot-on and gut-wrenching and actually really...uplifting at the end. You have definitely filled in any blanks between Michael and Jan here, offering up a completely plausible backstory/scenario wherein she'd accept his invitation. So many great lines, as well:
"It scares her sometimes, how it seems as if pieces of her are beginning to crack and fall away from her body." This whole paragraph was gorgeous and so inisghtful.
And this: "...is in the process of failing at life." Wow. Sucker punch, that, but I could see her believing that, given what we know about her regrets WRT her marriage and her desire for kids.
And this: "The floor tilts a little (but surely that’s just the vodka) as she glances at the phone and snaps it open"
I choose to believe that you're implying here that she's got some inherent weakness where Michael's concerned, and that's why the floor's tilting....because I think she really does have a thing for him, despite her best efforts at rationalizing it away.
This is simply amazing - can't believe it's your first fic! I'm looking forward to more of your stuff!
8 Oh.My.God, hugs. This was freaking brilliant! My shoulders were shaking through the whole thing, so perfectly in character, so many great lines:
"Tiffany doesn’t understand why she’s suddenly the Post Office and, more important, why these losers don’t just text message each other. Grown ups are weird, her sister is such a freaking pain, and there is no way this guy she’s so into looks anything like Zach Braff."
"He knew there was something about the way she looked at him, like there was no other person on this earth. Something about the way she smiled at him, like he was the most fascinating person she’d ever known. It was a rare thing – to find something like that – and despite his protests there was something to be said for things that were rare. " -- And there it is: the essence of the Ryan/Kelly attraction - so simple, but dead on.
"'I…' Ryan sputters as he shoves him forcefully away “…am not your ‘monkey’.” It would be so like Ryan to react in that way - utter mortification that he still manages to articulate.
"'I most certainly did not.' Angela clutches the gold cross at her neck, already silently seeking absolution." Ohhh, Angela. This killed me - along with the line about there not being enough gum in the world to wash away the sin. Priceless.
I would definitely say you have risen to - nay, surpassed - the challenge!
Hee!! Thanks girl7. I'm so glad you liked it.
More than writing slash - I found it was challenging to attempt to write something without a hint of "jam". Even my ensemble pieces are more than at little Jim&Pam centric. I'm glad I took the little sidetrip. :)
Nice job on your first fic! I gotta tell you, you have Michael Scott's voice nailed. Loved the line comparing him to a ringleader - such an apt description. And how believable that Jim and Pam would bond on her first day because he rescued her from Michael. Oh, and the last line made me grin.
Keep writing!
Speculation for S3 and a whole lotta wishful thinking. Pam's trying to be gracious about Jim's relationship with Karen - but she's had enough - and tells (shows) him so.
10 Okay, I swear there were tears in my eyes before I realized that there's not a "next" button for this.
I mentioned it at TWoP, but there are simply too many spot-on lines to quote here. I'll try anyway:
"
She wanted to throw something, something that would shatter and splinter and maybe maim anyone caught it its path. She wanted to punch him, she'd never thrown a punch in her life but right now, at this moment, her fists itched to find a mark. She wanted to yell and scream and stomp her feet like a two year old in need of a nap."
Yes. You know she has to feel this way; I don't give a damn about the whole Pam-needs-to-suffer theory - she'd already suffered enough before he came back. But to have to watch him with Karen and face the possibility that it's too late? Torture, absolute torture. -- And I don't think she "deserves" it.
"
"Yesterday - with Andy. You wanted to know how to get him, I said send him a flyer announcing a cappella auditions over at the Community Center and you said it was too obvious. Not ten minutes later, she said the same thing and all of the sudden you're printing out copies on fucking Plasma Pink." As she says the words she can't believe she's even saying anything, let alone cursing at him. She snatches the fax confirmation and storms back to her desk. "Do I not speak English anymore? Do they speak another language in Connecticut that I'm not aware of?"'
The great thing about this is that I could completely envision such a moment as being the defining moment on the show - the point of no return. Pam makes a prank suggestion so awesome that it pulls him back a little; he's so terrified that he jumps on whatever idea Karen throws out. Then Pam calls him on it. Wow.
"She pushed through the door and walked to the elevator pressing the button frantically. "I don't know what's worse. Waking up one morning and thinking I was about to throw the rest of my life away or making the choice to change only to find out it doesn't even matter. I didn't realize I only had one chance and because I didn't give you the right answer that was it. It was gone - lost - forever." Her eyes were wild, shiny with unshed tears as she whirled back around to face him and stared him in the eye."
Guh. I love Jim - find very little fault with him - but this? She (you) have called him on it completely; I just hope we get this moment on the show...
As usual, stellar stuff here.
And, uh, are you by chance planning on continuing it...?
The next is coming. I promise!!!
That's so much girl7 for your extensive (hee!) review. I'm so glad so many pieces of the story worked for you.
What if it wasn't Dwight who found her? Spoilers for Back from Vacation. 6 I'm really excited about the premise of this story - can't wait to see the other potential people who find her. Loved Andy's voice here, too - so funny.
Author's Response: Thank you!
8 Okay, the image of Toby kneeling in front of her? Heartbreaking. This one was hard to read - the whole suspecting that Toby knows because Jim and Karen had to register is such a horrid thing to consider. :o) Another great chapter - on to the next scenario!
Author's Response: Isn't that horrible to think of? I wish that Toby had actually found her, because I wish I could get a screencap of something...I entirely made up in my own head. So sad.
7 God, this was hilarious! I'm sorry for the clipped reviews, but I'm dying to read the next chapter!
Author's Response: Heee, any review is great, clipped or not. :)
10 Chills. At first I thought it was Jim, but I have to tell you, I wasn't disappointed when I realized it was Roy. That moment they shared at the end of the show this week was so poignant (his little "Oh brother" just broke my heart for some reason). I could have easily bought it that he had come upon her crying after Dwight left - or at least, knew she had been crying. Something about that last scene...
Anyway - what a great job here. And your last line here is so touching. Are you planning on continuing this? I'd love to see it with Michael, Darryl, and of course Jim. Ooh, or Karen!
Thank You! Yeah, that last scene just killed me in BfV...they have such a melancholic vibe together now that breaks my heart. I have such Roy love lately.
I don't know if I'll continue it...though it was tough to NOT do a Michael one. Perhaps I'll reconsider...
Anyway, thank you for the lovely review(s). :)
10 Oh wow - love the way you wrote Angela here; I can absolutely envision her this way. And that final line of hers? Excellent - spot on.
Author's Response: Thank you! Angela was way too much fun to write.